August 24, 2007
Closer than a Brother
By Michelle Payne, Guest Writer
Proverbs 18:24 …and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
“Michelle, Ms. Debi wants you to come over on Wednesdays to pack and deliver food for the needy families in our area.”
Little did I know, God was going to use Ms. Debi to draw me closer to Him. You see, I pray every night, read the Word every day, know what I believe, and have concern for the lost. Yep, I’m a pretty religious about my relationship with my heavenly Father, huh.
So, I showed up to help at around 12:30 and stayed till we finished at about 5:30. What did I think about the day? Well, it had been… interesting. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I thought Ms. Debi was… well, you know. A bit crazy. No no, crazy isn’t the correct word, let’s try the word “different.” Yes, Ms. Debi was a little different.
This is some of the things she would say out loud during our deliveries:
“Jesus, please save this person.”
“Jesus, please help me back the car out without hitting anything.” (Come on! Why ask God to help you back your car out?!)
“Let’s pray for healing…” (Even something as small as a cold! At least, I didn’t see my cold as anything big.)
“Lord, please keep the food on this porch safe until they get home.”
“Lord, please touch this family.” (She’d just pass by the house without even meeting anyone there and, without warning, pray for them!)
Look, it’s not like she said, “Let’s close our eyes and bow our heads…” No! She talked to God just like I have a conversation with my dad.
On the other hand, I treated my relationship with my heavenly Father more like a tradition. Yawn. Well, it’s time for bed, I better pray. Or… Man, I’m hungry. Oops, I need to pray. He he, I almost forgot. My prayer life was based upon tradition whereas hers was based upon relationship.
Wow. I need to change, were my thoughts once I realized the truth. I doubt it’s enjoyable to have someone talk to you everyday just because they feel required to, and not because they really, really want to. I now clearly see that God is my friend. Of course, I knew that he was my friend, but I’ve never truly understood what that meant till now.
Jesus, I humbly come before you, to ask for help in remembering that you’re always there and that you know and care about every single detail of my life. You’re a friend that “sticketh closer than a brother.” Thank you for loving me. Amen.
Debbie says:
This is AWESOME!!! I’m SO HAPPY for you Michelle! Way to go!
Debbie
lydia says:
Hey Michelle! You did a great job!
Keep on writing!
-Lydia Rule
Michelle says:
Aw, thanks guys!
-Michelle
Debbie says:
I was on here again today and just wanted to tell you again, how AWESOME this is, Michelle! I’m SO PROUD of you! You did it!
Debbie
Samer says:
Good thoughts, Michelle.
“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” in all things.